Preselector



pril-S, 1929. y J9. laLAczKBURN f 1,709,558

PRESELECTOR Filed July 1e, 1928 Patented Apr. 16, 1929.

UNITED STATES *i l I 1,709,558 PATENT OFFICE.

V JASPER BLAcKBURmoF WEBSTER GRovEs, MISSOURI.

PREsELEcToB.

Application mea July is,

My invention relates to improvements in preselectors, andhas for itsprimaryl object a preselector for sliding gear .transmissions in whichlow speed is first preselected. and in Which'the preselectorautomatically preselects a next higher' speed during the time that thefirst preselected gear is being shifted.

A further-object is to construct a preselector which will automaticallyadvance step byV step thereby making preselections.

A Still further object is to construct a preselector in which thepreselections can be made either automatically or manually.

A still further object is to construct a preselecter which is locatedinside of a motor vehicle and which is designed to be used in connectionwith sliding vgear rtransmission shifts` in which the shifting is.accomplished by the depression of the clutch pedal or similar actuatingmeans so as to eliminate the usual shifter rod which project-s upward inthe center of the floor board.`

rIn the drawings:

Fig. 1 is aside elevation otmy device with parts broken away and insection.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

F ig. 3 is a similar view showing the selector rod after it has beenrotated. l

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1. v

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view otfone form of connection between thetransmission and the preselector; and f 1 Fig. 6 's an end view ofanother form of connection to a sliding gear transmission..

In `the construction of my device I employ a plate or support 7 which is.provided with openings 8 by means of which it can be at-l tached Withina motor vehicle, preferably to the side of the vehicle. Carried by theplate or support are brackets 9, which carry revoluble sleeves 10 and11. yThe selector rod 1 2 is preferably rectangular in cross section andis provided at its upper end with a handle 13. Therod 12 is slidablymounted in the sleeves 1,0 and 11 and is provided with aV boss 14 towhich one end of a spring 15 Vis attached, the opposite end of thespring 15 is attached to a lug v16 which is carried by the plateorsupport 7 ySecured to the plate 7 are stops 17, 18 and 19.- The stops17 and 18 are provided with notches or cutaway portions 20 through 192s.serialA No. 293,240.

which they dog 21 carried by the selector rod l 12is adaptedto pass.Adjacent the stops 17 and 18 vare auxiliaryv stops 22 and 23. Thesestops are .cutaway as illustrated'in Figs. 2 and 3. Y The purpose oftheseV auxiliary stops -will be explained in detail later.

Adjacent the stop 17 is a guide`24, the purpose of which is-to cause theselector rod 12 to turn so that the dog 21 will be assured of abuttingthe plate or stop 17 as illustrated in Fig. 2..V

Secured to the rod 12 is a sleeve 25 which I has attached thereto a rack26.y This rack in turnmeshes with t-he plate 7.

a pinion 27 carried byV .Secured to the plate 7 are guides 28vin ment tothe rack 2G, thus moving the selector rod upward. Bythis `constructionthe Selector vrod 12 can be moved upwardy either by grasping the handle13 and pulling thereo or by depressing the toot/.plate 30.

` Extending from the sleeve 11 is an arm 31', which. is provided witheyes 32 and 33. Secured at'one end inl the eye 32 is a spring 34, theopposite end ot' which is secured to a bracket 35 carried by the plate7. 4Secured in the eye 33 is one end ot a chain or cable 36. This chainor cable passes around a sheave wheel` 37, which is secured at somesuitable point to the body of a motor vehicle. The opposite end of thechain. or cable 36 is secured to a pedal 38.- This pedal may bel eithera clutch pedalV or it may be a separate pedal designed to operatefaslid-V ing gear transmission but since this invention does not'rcliatespecifically to any par# 1 ticular type of sliding gear transmissionnone has beenfshown, especially in view of the fact thatmy device isapplicable to any kind of .sliding geartransmission in whichreselections can be made rior to shift/inv'.

44 carries prcselecting and shifting elements 45. The rod 44 has locatedthereon sheave wheels or spools 4G Vand 47. lfihen this device is usedone end of the chain is attached to the spool 4G and to the spool 47att-ached a chain or cable 48A which is wrapped around the spool in adirection reverse to that of t-he chain or cahle'40. rllhe chain orcahle 48 is provided on its end with a coil spring 49 which is adaptedto he secured at its opposite end to a convenient point of a vehiclebody so Vthat as the selector rod 12 descends, this spring being .undertension will cause the shaft 44 to `rotate and wind up the chain 40 onthe spool 4G. Of course, an upward pull on the rod 12 will. unwind thechain or cable 40 from the Aspool 4G and wind up the chain or cable 48spring 49 under tension.

In Fig. 6 I have shown another modilied form of construction in whichthe rotatable rod 50 corresponds to the rood 44 and also haspreselecting and shifting elements located thereon similar' to theelements 45. However, in place of mounting spools 46 and 47 on the rod50 l mount thereon a pinion 5 1, which meshes with a raclr 52 carried.in guides 53. To one `end of the rack 52 is attachcl the chain or cahle40 and to the opposite end` a short chain or cahle 54 to which in. turnis attached a coil spring 55.

In this device upon pulling upward on the selector rod, the cable orchain 40 iinparts a longitudinal movement tothe rack which in turnrotates the shaftO. This pulling or moving of the rack set-s the coilspring 55 under tension. Then as the selec tor rod descends, the coilspring exerts its power and moves the rack in the reverse direction.

The operation of my device is as follows: Supposing the vehicle to he inneutral and it is desired to back out 0r to hack the vehicle, theprf-:selector rod 12 is moved upward to its fullest extent. This iseitherV done by pressing down on the foot plate 30 or by pulling up onthe handle 13. f When in this position the dog 21 will he above theguide 24 and the preselection for reverse will have heen made.

The pedal 38 in then depressed, which operates the shifting elements andshifts the transmission into reverse. During all of this v12longitudinally and downward. rod moves downward, the dog 21 contacts onthe `spool 4'?, placing thel time the selector rod has been held'hy thehand in its uppermost position. Asy soon as the shift into reverse hasheen made, the selector rod is released and the spring 15, which hasbeen'placed'under tension, commences to contract, moving the selectorrod As this with the guide 24 causing the rod to rotate so that the dogwill come in contact with the platelor stop 17. This downward movementwill cause slack to form in the chain!l or cable 40, which is connectedto the preselect ing and shifting elements and due to the coil spring,which exerts a pull or twisting movenient on that part of the shiftingelement to which the chain or cable 40 isconnected, this slack is takenup at and the same time selection is made for first speed forward.

After the vehicle has been backed the desired distance, the pedal 38 isagain depressed, which will shift the transmission into low speed andsimultaneously with this shifting the depression ofthe pedal 38 exerts apull on the chain or cable 36 pulling down the arm 31V and rocking theprcselector rod 12 to such a degree that the dog 21 can pass through thenotch 2O in the plate 17.

As soonras the dog 2l passes through v this notch it cornes in contactwith the auxiliary stop 22, which prevents the rod from nioving farther.During this time, however, the shift has heen completed and upon releaseof the pedal 88, the coil spring34 contracts and pulls the rod so as topartial y rotate it, which partial rotation will bring'the dog so thatit will clear the upper edge of the auxiliary stop and permit thespring15 to further contract and draw the rod downward so that the dog 21comes in Contact with the stop 1S, which completes preseleetion for thenext highest speed.

rThen upon shifting into this next highest speed, the foregoingoperation 1s repeated, that is, the dog passes through a notch 1n thestop 18 and contacts with the auxiliary stop 23 and upon release of thepedal the rod again rotates and the dog comes in contact with the stop19, automatically preselecting the highest speed. The stop 19, however,is not provided with a cutaway portion or keywayV since it is notdesired to` have the rod move downward any farther.

After the device has been shifted into high, a reverse longitudinalmovement is ini-Y partedr to the preselector rod 12 either by pressingdown on the foot plate 30 or by pulling up on the handle 13 and upon therelease of this handle or pressure on the foot plate, the device willagain he set so as to.v

preselect first or low speed forward.

`Should this preselectiony to low speed he made and it is desired not toshift into low speed as in the case where a vehicle has stopped for atraflic signal, the operator can Vcause a longitudinal movement of theselector rod 12 either by turning the handle 13 with his hand or bypressing against the same with his kneesoas vto rotate the rod 12sufficiently to permit the' dog 21 to pass through the opening 20 in theplate 17. By this means, I am enabled to change the preselection atlwilland without operatingthe transmission or the pedal 38.

The dog 21 is preferably spring actuated so that it can readily passinto the slot `brackets carried by said support, a selector formed inthe preselector rod when the ref verse longitudinal movement is impartedto it either by pulling on the handle or pressing on the foot plate. Inthis way, it willV not be necessary to impart any rotary movenient tothe selector rod when the saine is moved upward but at the same timethere will be no possibility ofthe selector rod moving downward unlessit has been rotated.

The auxiliary stops 22 and 23 serve' the purpose of preventing` theselector rod 12 irom moving downward too far or even possibly skipping astop because in order for the dog to pass one of the auxiliary stops, itmust be so rocked or rotated as to bring the dog 21 out of alignmentwith the opening formed in the stops 17 and 18.

It will, therefore, be seen that by my construction, although theselector rod may have a continuous upward movement, only a step by stepdownward movement can be obtained. l

Having fully described my invention,

' what I claim is: c

1. A preselector comprising a support, a rotatable longitudinallysliding selector rod carried by said support, means for moving said rodlongitudinally in one direction without hindrance, and means for causingsaid rod to automatically movelongitudinally in the opposite directionstep by step.

2. A pijeselector comprising a plate, brackets carried by said plate, avselector rod rotatably and slidablycarried vby said brackets, means formoving said rod in one direction, means for moving said rod in theopposite direction, a plurality of spaced apart means for limiting themovement of said rod in said last mentioned direction step by step, andmeans for rotating said ing said rod longitudinally in one direction'without hindrance, and means including foot operated means tor causingsaid rod to move longitudinally and automatically fin the oppositedirection step by step.

4. A preselector comprising a support,

rod rotatably and slidably carried by' said brackets, means formovingsaid rod in'one direction, means for moving said rod in theopposite direction, a plurality of spacedy apa-rt means for limiting themovement of said rod in said last mentionedV direction step by step, andfoot operated means for `rotating said rod so as to release the sainefrom certain of said limi-ting means.

5. A pieselector comprising` a plate, a rotatablelongitudinally slidingselector rod carried by said plate, foot operated means for moving saidrod in one direction without hindrance, and means for causing saidy rodto move in the opposite direction step by step.

. 6. A preselector comprising a plate, brackets carried by said plate, aselectorrrod rotatably and slidably carried by said brackets, footoperated means for moving said rod in one direction, means for movingsaid rod in the opposite direction, a plurality of spaced apart meansfor limiting the move* ment of said rod in said last mentioned directionstep by step, and means for rotating said rod so as to release the samefrom certain of said limiting means.

7. A preselector comprising a plate, a rotatable longitudinally slidingselector rod carried by `said plate, means for moving said rod in onedirection withouthindrance,

signature. JASPER BLACKBURN.

